The NAVMC 2795 counseling worksheet comes in two versions — one for lance corporals and below, one for corporals and above — and both ask for the same basic information: who was counseled, what was discussed, what targets were set, and when the next session will happen. Download the current form from the Marine Corps Publications Electronic Library on marines.mil, where the worksheets appear as appendices to the NAVMC 2795 User’s Guide to Counseling.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling Fill it out during or immediately after the session, sign it with the Marine, give them a copy, and file the original.
Pick the Right Version
Two sample worksheets sit in Appendix A of the User’s Guide.
Figure A-1 is for lance corporals and below. The top of the form carries fields for Name, SSN (or DoD ID Number), Date, Grade, MOS, and Billet. The body has three sections labeled Subjects on Which Guidance Was Provided, Tasks Assigned Next Period, and Major Accomplishments and/or Comments. Signature blocks and a Target Date for Next Session sit at the bottom.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Figure A-2 is for corporals and above. It adds a checkbox for Initial Counseling Session (ICS) or Follow-on, and the three body sections use slightly different labels: Agenda/Subjects Discussed, Major Accomplishments, and Targets for Coming Period and/or Comments. The header and signature fields are otherwise the same.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Complete the Header
Work across the top of the form. The fields are short but they matter, because the worksheet may end up in the Marine’s command file and get referenced during proficiency and conduct marks or fitness report discussions.
- Name: the Marine’s full name as it appears on official records.
- DoD ID Number: the ten-digit EDIPI printed on the Marine’s CAC. Use this instead of the Social Security Number. DoD replaced the SSN on personnel forms with the DEERS-assigned DoD ID Number, and the form’s SSN field should be filled with the DoD ID.2Defense Health Agency. Display Chap 3 Sect 3.1 – Individual Person Identifier
- Date: the date the session takes place.
- Grade: current pay grade, such as E-3 or E-5.
- MOS: the Marine’s primary Military Occupational Specialty code.
- Billet: the duty position the Marine currently fills.
- ICS or Follow-on: on Figure A-2 only, check ICS for a first meeting under a new supervisor, Follow-on for every session after that.
Fill In the Three Body Sections
The body sections carry the actual counseling. The User’s Guide describes them as capturing “the subject matter, the junior’s targets or tasks for the coming period, and notes on the junior’s major accomplishments since the last counseling session.”1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Subjects Discussed / Guidance Provided. List every topic covered. For an ICS, that typically means the unit’s mission and status, the Marine’s specific duties, and the supervisor’s expectations. For a follow-on, cover progress on prior targets, any new responsibilities, and anything either party raised. Be specific. “Improve physical fitness” is weaker than “bring PFT run time under 21 minutes by the next session.”
Tasks Assigned / Targets for Coming Period. Write down concrete, measurable goals the Marine should achieve before the next session — job performance, professional military education, physical fitness benchmarks, or off-duty education. The User’s Guide says the Marine should outline a plan for meeting each target, detailed enough that the supervisor is satisfied the Marine understands both the goal and how to reach it.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Major Accomplishments and/or Comments. Record what the Marine has done well since the last session. The guide notes that a session “can be an occasion for praise as well as for dealing with problems.”1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling Documented accomplishments in this section also support favorable proficiency and conduct marks later.
Fill in these sections during the session or immediately after. Waiting days to reconstruct the form from memory introduces errors and weakens the record.
Sign, Set the Next Date, and Submit
Both the counselor and the Marine sign at the bottom. The counselor’s signature confirms the session took place and that what’s written is accurate. The Marine’s signature acknowledges that the counseling occurred and that the content was communicated. It does not mean the Marine agrees with every observation.
Before filing, fill in the Target Date for Next Session. For a lance corporal or below, that date should be roughly 30 days out. For a corporal or above, it should be no more than six months from the current session, or about 90 days if this was the ICS.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Give the Marine a copy. That’s their reference for tracking targets and preparing for the next session. The original goes to the unit’s administrative section. Most units file completed worksheets in the Marine’s command file or a designated counseling folder, where the chain of command can pull them when assigning proficiency and conduct marks, writing fitness reports, or making assignment decisions.
If the Marine Refuses to Sign
The User’s Guide does not lay out a formal refusal-to-sign procedure. Common practice is to note the refusal on the Marine’s signature line, record the date, and have a witness — typically another NCO or SNCO — sign to verify the session took place. A missing signature does not invalidate the counseling; the Marine’s refusal to sign does not erase the record or exempt them from the targets that were set. Document the refusal on the form and retain the worksheet the same way you would any other completed session.
How Often to Complete a Worksheet
The form is used for three kinds of sessions.
Initial Counseling Session. Required whenever a new supervisor-subordinate relationship begins, either because the Marine is new to the unit or because the supervisor changed. The ICS should happen within roughly 30 days of that relationship starting, and its agenda covers the unit’s mission, the Marine’s duties, and the targets the supervisor sets for the job and overall professional development.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Follow-on sessions. Frequency depends on rank:
- Lance corporals and below: every 30 days.
- Corporals through colonels: approximately 90 days after the ICS, then at intervals no longer than six months.
- Reservists: every three months, plus once during annual training duty.1United States Marine Corps. NAVMC 2795 – User’s Guide to Counseling
Missing an interval doesn’t trigger a formal penalty, but it leaves a gap in the Marine’s record and undercuts the supervisor’s credibility when it’s time to assign marks.
Event-driven sessions. Either party can call for counseling outside the scheduled cycle — a notable achievement, a disciplinary issue, or a sudden change in duties are all reasons. These can be short, but they should still be documented on a worksheet if the content matters enough to reference later.
Storing and Disposing of Completed Worksheets
Completed NAVMC 2795 forms contain personal identifiers and are covered by the Privacy Act of 1974, which governs how federal agencies collect, store, and share records about individuals.3Department of Justice. Privacy Act of 1974 Limit access to those with an official need: the Marine’s chain of command, administrative personnel processing the records, and the Marine themselves.
The Department of the Navy Records Management Manual (SECNAV M-5210.1) is the single records disposition authority for Navy and Marine Corps records, counseling worksheets included.4Department of the Navy. SECNAV M-5210.1 – Department of the Navy Records Management Program Units typically retain the forms for the duration of the Marine’s assignment. When the retention period ends, destroy the records using an approved method; shredding or burning are standard for documents with personal information. Don’t put completed worksheets in the trash, and purge any digital copies from shared drives and databases on the same schedule as the paper originals.